Perception and preferences of second professional undergraduate medical students for pharmacology teaching: a questionnaire based cross-sectional study

Background: Feedback from students provides an opportunity to assess lacunae in current systems of teaching and forms the basis for framing desired modifications in the teaching methodology to enhance the magnitude of learning. This study was undertaken to know the views of students on current methodology of pharmacology teaching and to delineate the required changes to be made in it.Methods: The questionnaire based cross-sectional study was conducted on 167 students of second professional undergraduate medical students. The questionnaire was divided in 2 different parts. Part A consisted 20 multiple choice questions on perception and preferences of students for pharmacology teaching and opinion on changes to be made was taken in the part B of the questionnaire.Results: Pharmacology was marked as one of the most interesting and useful subjects by 49.1% and 67.06% of students respectively. Central nervous system (19.76%) and endocrinology (17.96%) were two most boring systems. The central (35.92%) and autonomic (31.73%) nervous systems were two most difficult systems to understand. The combination of lecture notes and textbooks was the preferred reading materials of 58.68% of students. The most preferred teaching media was the combination of blackboard and chalk with power point presentation (80.24%). Increased use of figures, flow charts and diagrams, inclusion of more clinical examples and interactive classes were marked as suggested reforms to enhance the outcome of lecture classes.Conclusions: This study revealed that students are in favour of a substantial change in the current teaching methodology of pharmacology in place of outdated and useless methods

An Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants used by the Locals in Kishtwar, Jammu and Kashmir, India

This study represents a systematic attempt to explore the knowledge of the native people about plants, which they use to cure diseases. And it is an attempt towards conserving the local knowledge of people to plants. This paper presents a list and uses of some medicinal plants distributed in the high altitude district Kishtwar in Jammu and Kashmir. The list was prepared during an ethno-botanical survey of the region from December 2007 to January, 2009. This paper provides information about 71 ethno-medicinally useful plants grown in this region. In this paper, family, botanical name, local name, ethnomedicinal uses are given for each plant

Congenital Juvenile Xanthogranuloma of Foot, a Nodular Lesion: An Unusual Case in 2-month-old Infant

A 2-month-old infant presented with a circumscribed nodule on left foot since birth. Excision biopsy showed juvenile xanthogranuloma, an uncommon diagnosis in an unusual site; common sites being head and neck. Uncommon sites are groin, genital organs, limbs and even internal organs. It carries a favorable prognosis

A clinical analysis of outcome in management of head injury in patients with highway road accidents

Background: Road traffic accidents (RTAs) are a major cause of misery, disability and death globally, with a disproportionate number occurring in developing countries. Complications from closed head injuries are the single largest cause of morbidity and mortality in patients who reach the hospital alive. The present study assesses the outcome in the management of head injury admitted in our hospital following RTA in the period of one year.  Methods: This retrospective study carried out in the department of Neurosurgery in a rural tertiary hospital, Kolar, Karnataka, India. Patients who got admitted between periods of January 2012 to January 2013 were included in the study. All patients were clinically evaluated by a team comprising of doctors from surgical, medical and orthopedics specialties in the emergency department and subsequently admitted and treated at neurosurgery. The study was conducted based on these reports and observations and outcome of patients. The results were expressed as percentages.Results: At the time of admission 41% patients were under alcoholic influence, 97% patients had history of LOC, 50% patients had ENT bleed and 7.5% had CSF leak.  The GCS score of less than 8 was seen in 33% cases, 9 to12 in 52% cases and between 12 to 14 in 15% patients. As per Glasgow outcome scale (GOS), 91% of patients had good recovery, 5.5% patients had disability (hemiparesis, ptosis) and 3.5% patients died in the course of treatment. Conclusions: Head injury due to RTA is a recognized major public health problem causing death and disability among the population. So it should be managed in time and also should be looked seriously by concerned authority for reducing the incidences of head injury associated with RTA and protecting people by debilitating conditions